


Net Under the Ledge

by supernovainparadise



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Airports, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Because that's the world we live in!, Blindness, Drowning, Gen, Happy Azula (Avatar), Hawaii, Hurt Sokka, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Near Death Experiences, Period-Typical Racism, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Sokka almost dies, Some dude is an asshole to Zuko on a plane, Surfing, Which isn't actually his fault, World Travel, Zuko's half blind in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:21:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25561999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernovainparadise/pseuds/supernovainparadise
Summary: Zuko wasn't expecting the phone call from Katara. He wasn't expecting to be on a plane at three AM, heading for Amsterdam, then LA, then home.Zuko wasn't expecting-
Relationships: Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 477





	Net Under the Ledge

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "Something I need" by OneRepublic.
> 
> Also, Zuko's design for me will always be [pakchoy's](https://pakchoys.tumblr.com/post/616682471823704064/hello-zuko-here-but-i-guess-you-probably#notes) and you can fight me on that.

Oil money tended to go a long, long way. Especially when your father was on death row for murdering a lot of people, and had left most of his money to your sister who you've recently repaired your relationship with. Perhaps blood money was a more accurate description? Zuko, however, kept these thoughts to himself as he leaned forward onto the railing, the warmth of his little sister leaning against his shoulder as they watched the sunset over the lake where Oslo, Norway sat.

"We should do stuff like this more often..." Azula murmurs, elbowing her brother gently in the ribs.

Zuko chuckles softly. "I think I'll leave the wandering to you, dear sister."

Azula laughs, then straightens up to frown into her glass. "I'm going to grab another glass of wine, want one?"

Zuko shakes his head and watches his sister walk back into the house, humming some new song. He's more grateful than ever that she finally got the help she needed, and that she was willing to repair their relationship beyond that, especially given what happened the day of the SWAT raid. Zuko won't ever forget the way she broke down, how her sobs echoed off the walls of the manor, a hollow house of concrete and pain.

He's shaken out of his memories by the sound of his phone ringing, which he pulls out of his pocket with a soft sigh, looking at the screen to see the caller ID, though he already knows it'll probably just be Sokka.

It's not. It's Katara.

He frowns softly as he stares at the screen for a moment, at the photo he stole off of her Instagram sitting just above her name and the two symbols dictating "answer" and "hang up". It's not that he isn't happy to hear from his boyfriend's sister, he quite enjoys Katara's company, but it's that he wasn't expecting it. Katara prefers texting over calling, merely because she feels she can get her point across quicker. She prefers face-to-face conversation over anything on a phone though. Zuko just barely manages to answer before his phone sends her to voicemail.

"Hello, Zuko here," he mutters awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and frowning.

"Oh thank God you picked up the first time. I was afraid I'd have to call your sister," he hears Katara say through the line with a sigh of relief.

"You have Azula's number?"

"She gave it to me for emergencies, but that's _definitely_ not why I'm calling you. Something happened to Sokka, and the doctors aren't sure he's going to pull through."

Zuko's pretty sure his heart stops beating. Actually, physically ceases to beat. Panic grips him almost immediately, but he manages to shove it down and asks, "what happened?"

"He was out surfing and got caught by a rogue wave. It pulled him under and he hit his head _hard_. He's gone into a coma, and the doctors are afraid that he'll never wake up due to the brain trauma. You have to get home, _now._ "

Zuko manages to stutter out that he'll head for the airport and book the next flight to America now. He hangs up and sprints into the house like a madman, shocking Azula so bad she nearly drops her glass of wine.

"What's gotten into you, Zuzu?" she asks, a slight smirk on her face. The smirk falls when she sees the wild look in her brother's eyes. "What happened?"

"Sokka's hurt, bad. I have to get back."

Azula glances sadly at her wine before setting it on the counter. "Well, luckily for you I've only had one glass of wine tonight. I'll drive you to the airport.

The ride to the airport was mostly tense silence, though as they were pulling up the baggage claim, Zuko paused after they had taken his bags out of the trunk, and turns to his sister with a little smile.

"I'll make up for this, I promise. You can tell me all about how much you love Ty Lee, and we'll eat Thai food, and watch a bad movie," it comes out more tearful than he means it, but Azula just beams and hugs him incredibly tight.

"I know you will Zuzu. Now hurry home."

When he reaches the front of the line, he is completely out of breath and doesn't even attempt to speak Norwegian. "I need to get back to the States; Hawaii. Specifically."

The poor woman running the front desk gives him a look as she pulls up something on her computer. "I can get you on a flight with only two stops between here and Hawaii. Which island?"

"Maui."

"The first flight that will connect from here to the states is in Amsterdam. It leaves in two hours, and the flight after that is straight over to Los Angeles. It's an overnight stop, but after that it heads towards Kahului, Hawaii. I can book you all those flights and a hotel room connecting to the hotel at LAX?"

"That works. How much?"

She names some price, and Zuko slaps down his credit card without really hearing her. Price doesn't matter at that moment, and he notices that when she hands him his boarding passes and he checks his luggage that she's given him business-class seats. He glances to see what card he put down and notices that it's the wrong one. He meant to put down his business card, and instead put down his far more fancy luxury card. 

Great. That's gonna be fun to pay off later.

He merely finishes checking his two bags, tosses his carryon over his shoulder, and books it towards TSA and customs.

* * *

It was a miracle when Zuko landed in Amsterdam that he made his connecting flight to LA. He had thirty minutes and spoke no Dutch. Thankfully he did speak fluent French, and that was enough to get him to his gate just in time to board with the rest of business class. He slipped into his seat, having to shuffle his way past an older man to do so, and flops down, exhausted. He glances out the window at the tarmac, silently wishing it wasn't three in the morning. He quietly reminds himself that he isn't doing this because he wants to, it's because he _has_ to. Sokka is waiting for him on the other side of the world, and he'll be damned if he isn't there by his side as soon as possible.

He pulls out his phone to see a handful of texts he missed on the last flight since he had tried to get a short nap in. One was from Katara, saying that they were talking about taking Sokka in for another examination, one was from Aang telling him to fly safe and not rush anything, the last thing he needed to do was get hurt, and the other was from Suki, who said that she missed both her best friends more than anything in the world. He sent a quick text to Katara, saying that he was on his flight to the states, and would be there asap. Another to Aang that said something along the lines of "I have no choice in the matter" to which Aang replied with a frowny face. He told Suki he missed her too and would see her soon. He was fairly certain the man sitting next to him was giving him an odd look, but he chalked it up to being a foreigner and settled in to wait for take-off.

Of course, because something up there _hated his guts_ , that wouldn't actually be the case.

Shortly after takeoff, Zuko took his laptop out of his carry-on and settled in to get some work done, turning the brightness as far down as he could do avoid disturbing anyone sleeping around him. He was too scared and wound up to sleep, so he figured he might as well get some work done. He opened his email, and, as luck would have it, the very first was from his uncle, written in Japanese. This wasn't unusual, given that his family had migrated from Japan to Hawaii when Zuko was still an infant to be slightly closer to their oil rig in the pacific. However, it appeared that the man next to him who was looking rudely over Zuko's shoulder had a problem with this.

"Damn Asians... Think they can come over and scam us of our money..." the man muttered, sending a pointed glare at Zuko, which he moved to return.

Of course, this was a mistake as well, given that it revealed his scar and blind eye.

The man's face twisted in disgust, but he didn't say anything, merely turning to type something on his phone. Zuko quickly turned his attention back to his laptop, hands shaking as he attempted to respond to his uncle. But he couldn't stop the curiosity that burned him, despite his rapid heartbeat, and so he glanced over the man's shoulder and felt his heart begin pounding rapidly in his chest as he caught part of the text.

_Can't believe I'm sitting next to this foreign freak._

Zuko swallows hard, trying to ignore the lump in his throat. He knows that this sort of thing shouldn't get to him anymore, but with the compounded stress of having to catch two flights within a few hours, Sokka being in bad condition at the hospital, and being far from home? It hits him harder than usual. He sniffles a little, and ends up giving up on writing a response to Uncle Iroh. The screen is getting hard to see with the tears clouding his eyes anyway.

After a few minutes of trying to bottle his emotions back in that deep crevasse he's used for this very purpose many times, a flight attendant comes up to him and leans over to whisper, "would you like to change seats, sir?"

Zuko doesn't trust his voice so he merely nods, and the woman takes him over to an empty seat a few rows back, still in business.

He manages to finish his email to Uncle this time.

* * *

When he lands in LA eleven hours later, he has never been more grateful to get to his room at the airport's Hilton and strip down to his socks before falling into the bed, phone in hand. There's another text from Katara, informing him that they've moved Sokka to a different unit, but she's too upset to remember which one. Aang sends him a picture of the beach and tells him that everything will be okay. Suki has sent him a paragraph about how much she values their friendship, and that if something happens she's going to kill him because she can't take losing them both.

It's been a long time since Zuko cried himself to sleep, but he does tonight.

He regrets this when he forces himself to get up and sees that it's seven o'clock in the evening, and his next flight leaves in four hours. He double-checks the gate on his boarding pass before forcing himself to dress. His good eye is red and puffy, and he's fairly certain he can see some red behind the milky white of his scarred eye too. He looks like a wreck and takes a moment to shower and at least try and look like he's put himself back together.

Even though he knows he'll break down as soon as he gets to the hospital in Kahului.

He spends a few of the next hours watching some Disney move on the television (one that is DEFINITELY not Lilo and Stitch, because it's Sokka's favorite, and he'd much rather disassociate than have a mental breakdown), before venturing out into the airport after checking out to find some food and catch his flight. He grabs some food at In-and-Out burger, then camps out next to his gate as the night grows deeper and the pain in his chest grows worse. Zuko people watches for a while, determined to save his phone and laptop battery for the six-hour flight to come. He silently wishes he didn't feel so alone, in such a big place. While it's a relief to finally be back in his home country, the sooner he's by Sokka's side, the better.

For the tiniest bit of time, though, Zuko notices a handful of interesting people walk by him, and his thoughts drift away from stark white rooms and humming machines. One woman struts by in an evening gown, head held high, and heels clicking against the tile. She has her hair in a tall updo and dark dramatic makeup. She's even wearing gloves that go all the way up to her elbow that Zuko thinks might be pure silk. A while later, an older man shuffles past without any shoes on, which Zuko quietly notes as being... not very hygienic, but on top of that, he has not a single visible hair on his body. A child dressed in all black wanders past, giving Zuko an impressive glare for someone who has to be, at most, 11. Zuko looks around for whoever's taking care of this child, hoping they aren't unaccompanied. His uncle would have a heart attack just thinking about it.

After what feels like an eternity, his flight begins boarding, and Zuko feels the first twinge of relief he's gotten since he got that call from Katara back in Oslo. It's doubled by the fact that he doesn't see the man from last time anywhere on the plane.

The flight is uneventful. Zuko tries to sleep this time, but fails and gives up about two hours in to work on a paper for one of his graduate classes. He wishes he had Sokka to help him edit it, and bounce ideas off of.

The relief is gone.

* * *

Zuko had to physically restrain himself from forcing his way off the plane when he landed at Kahului Airport. Once he was out of the plane, he sprinted towards the baggage claim. Waiting for his duffle bag and suitcase was its own special type of torture. He spotted his luggage after what felt like an eternity, grabbing it and heading out towards the road, texting Katara that he'd landed and would be at the hospital ASAP. Luckily for him, someone seemed to be keeping track of his flights, because Aang's ridiculous van was sitting outside the doors. As Zuko approached, he heard the doors unlock, and tugged open one of the back doors to toss his bags in before clambering into the front seat. Aang turns and gives him a sympathetic look as he puts the van in drive and heads for the hospital.

The tense silence is reminiscent of the first leg of his journey, with Azula. Zuko can't pay attention to the palm trees along the road, or the light off the ocean in the distance. It doesn't matter that he's finally _home_ , not until he's by Sokka's side. 

Home is where the heart is, after all.

Sokka has never been more relieved to see the hospital. As soon as Aang's found a parking spot, he all but throws himself out of the car and sprints across the parking lot and through the front doors before coming to a skidding stop before the front desk. The nurse running the front desk gives him an odd look, and he sees the typical widening of eyes as she sees his scar, but before she can ask what he needs, he blurts out "I'm looking for--"

_"ZUKO!"_

He whips his head in the direction of the voice to see Katara jogging towards him with Aang. She hugs him tight and Zuko clings to her, inhaling the scent of saltwater and tangling a hand in her wet hair. The medical student pulls away from him, sniffling softly but smiling a little.

"How's Sokka? Is he still-" Zuko can't bear to finish the sentence.

"He's alive. They said that it's likely he'll lose some minor motor function, mostly in his fingers and toes, but he should be okay. He should be okay."

Zuko lets out a breath that he's certain he's been holding since he received that phone call back in Norway. Katara leads him through the halls to Sokka's room, and Zuko pauses before the threshold, turning to give Katara a look. She smiles a little at him and says "he's asleep, but he's not in a coma anymore. He woke up a little while ago."

Zuko merely nods, trying to ignore the way his hands shake and his throat closes up as he reaches for the door. What if Sokka doesn't want to see him? What if he's angry at Zuko for not being there? What if--

Zuko pushes the door open anyway.

The room is, as most hospital rooms are, bare of most furniture and decor, painted and furnished in bright, clinical white. A machine reading Sokka's vitals beeps softly, the only noise aside from Sokka and Suki's breathing. The aforementioned girl looks up from where she's staring down at her friend and all but throws herself into Zuko's arms. Zuko buries his head in her shoulder, inhaling deeply. She smells like she's been here for a while, a combination of rubbing alcohol and... nothing. Emptiness.

"I'm so, so, so glad to see you..." Suki whispers, and Zuko can only nod. He feels as though his voice has been stolen from him.

Suki pulls away and takes him by the hand, tugging him over to the side of Sokka's bed. He sits in the chair that Suki had been occupying, and hesitantly takes one of Sokka's hands in his own. He runs his thumb across his knuckles, staring down at the small scars on the top of his hands. They're larger and rougher than Zuko's own, and it physically pains him to know that he hasn't been here to hold them this entire time.

Sokka squeezes his hand and Zuko's head shoots up to see the man smiling at him with open and honest affection. 

"Hi," Sokka whispers, voice still hoarse from sleep.

"Hi." Zuko croaks back, tears slipping down his face.

Sokka reaches up and brushes the tears away, the leans forward and kisses Zuko on the forehead before pulling him into strong and familiar arms. Zuko holds on tight, repeating the mantra in his head of _he's okay, he's okay, he's okay..._

And as long as Sokka is "okay" he is certain he can face whatever comes next.


End file.
